Bacterial Sulfur Metabolism

Bacterial sulfur metabolism encompasses the biochemical pathways by which bacteria utilize, transform, and recycle sulfur compounds. This process is essential for bacterial survival, growth, and interaction with their environment. Sulfur can exist in multiple oxidation states (from -2 to +6), allowing bacteria to use it in both energy-generating (dissimilatory) and biosynthetic (assimilatory) processes. Key pathways include dissimilatory sulfate reduction, assimilatory sulfate reduction, and sulfur oxidation. This impacts soil fertility, aquatic ecosystems' chemistry, atmospheric gas composition (H2S), and even human health through gut microbiota activity.